Automatic Presser Foot Lifter Feature on the Janome MC9400

One of the very helpful features on the Janome MC9400 is the automatic presser foot lifter. You can set the machine so that every time you stop stitching, the needle goes down into the fabric and the presser foot automatically lifts up by pressing this button on the display screen. The presser foot will automatically go down again when you start to stitch.

I love these presser foot options on the Janome MC9400, but one thing that I didn’t love was that I often wanted the presser foot to lift higher and it took me a while to figure out how to do this as it isn’t in the machine’s manual. 

You can set the height of the presser foot to its highest point in the Settings area, but I want to be able to have the presser foot be set at a regular height and then just be able to push a button to have it raise to the highest height – yes, I’m fussy like that! 

Click on the image below to see how you can have the presser foot lift to its highest height on the Janome MC9400, without adjusting the height in the Settings area.

Creatively,

Download the free Get Out of the Ditch! guide to learn how to start free motion quilting by clicking here.

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Quilting Books for Every Season

Do you change your home decorations with the season? I admit that I don't do this very often but I do like to change out my wall hangings and sometimes even table runners for different times of the year. I certainly do this in December where the whole house looks like a Christmas bomb exploded in our house! 

I've gone through my personal library of quilt books to pick out some of the ones I have that have seasonal projects in them. Whether you like pieced projects or prefer appliqué (this is my niche!), cotton or wool, you're sure to find a suitable seasonal project in one of these books. They are (in no particular order):

Kim Schaefer's Calendar Quilts

Quilt the Seasons by Pat Sloan

Quilt the Season Book 2 by Pat Sloan (because one book is never enough from Pat)

A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue by Christine Porter and Darra Williamson

Seasonal Silhouettes by Edyta Sitar

Simple Seasons by Kim Diehl

A Change of Seasons by Bonnie Sullivan

More Free-Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 by Lori Kennedy

I've included links to each book so you can take a closer look at them or even add a few to your quilting library.

Click on the image below to see a little of each of these books.

Do you like to put out seasonal quilts in your home? I'd love to see your quilt projects, so just pop a photo in the Comment section below. If you have a favourite quilt book that has seasonal projects in it, let me know that too.

Creatively,

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Enrolment in The Quilter's Way is now open. If you want the solution to your quilting problems and become the best quilter you can be, you need to be a member! Join here.

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive FREE emails full of quilting goodness? Just click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

P.P.S. I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small amount of compensation if you purchase a product by clicking through links in this blogpost. This allows me to continue to provide you with FREE content each week. Thank you.

Book Review - Floral Motifs to Embroider

If you love floral embroidery designs, you will love this book by Reiko Mori. There are dozens of beautiful designs in this book that look complex – and will take a bit of time to complete – but they all use standard embroidery stitches.

Image courtesy of Martingale

The appeal of these designs is that they are created with a combination of small floral motifs, which, when all stitched close together, create the final, larger designs.

There are unusual designs in this book that I haven’t seen in other embroidery books, some that would be perfect for a bride and her attendants. Complete instructions and information about hand embroidery are included in Floral Motifs to Embroider.

Although I haven’t heard of heirloom embroidery (like heirloom quilts), I could certainly see how these designs could be used to create heirloom projects. In addition to the designs, complete instructions on projects using these embroidery motifs are included in Floral Motifs to Embroider.

Image courtesy of Martingale

 I found these designs appealing as they are more intricate than I’m used to seeing in embroidery books and I loved how various small floral motifs were used to create the larger designs. In addition, the designs in the book are ones that you don’t usually see, such as the Japanese traditions designs, the alphabet birds and the tea cups – my favourites!

Image courtesy of Martingale

 To get a closer look at Floral Motifs to Embroider, click on the image below to watch the video.

If you want to create unusual, intricate embroidery designs, you’ll need to check out those in Floral Motifs to Embroider.

Get your copy of Floral Motifs to Embroider here.

Creatively,

P.S. I am an Amazon affiliate and, if you purchase items by clicking through the links in this post, will receive a small commission. This helps me to continue providing free content for you. Thanks!

You Don't Want to Miss Out on This!

Wow, the day is finally here: I'm officially launching The Quilter's Way!

If you follow me on social media, you will have already heard about The Quilter's Way as I've been pretty much obsessed with working on it for the past several months. If you do know about it, I hope you will take some time to check it out - there is a 14-day free trial period where you can view all of the content and training in the Learning centre and join in the exclusive Community area, all for free.

If you don't follow me on social media, you may not know anything about this online membership site on which I've been working for the past several months. It is a monthly membership site which includes both a Learning centre where you will find helpful and valuable training and information to improve your quilting experience, as well as a private members only Community area. This is the jewel of The Quilter's Way, in my opinion, as it gives you the opportunity to chat with other quilters, ask and get specific answers to your quilting issues, and get support and encouragement when you need it.

While there is a lot of training to be explored in the Learning centre, there is just as much valuable content and information in the Community area. In addition to connecting with other members of The Quilter's Way, this is where you'll find quilt alongs, live videos and challenges, such as the Fabric Decluttering Challenge, which I'm offering to kick off the opening of The Quilter's Way.

So many quilters tell me that they have issues keeping their stash under control that I decided to do something about it and offer a 5 day challenge to help with this problem. The Fabric Decluttering Challenge starts on September 24, 2018. Enrolment is now open and will close on September 23, 2018 , at 11:59 pm MST. Sign up now and be ready to get your fabric under control! You can get all the details here.

Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there (my squirrel brain!), but I just get so excited by all the helpful information that is waiting for you and I want to be sure that I tell you about all these opportunities!

Okay, let's get back to The Quilter's Way!

You may wonder why you should check out The Quilter's Way, after all, you can always get information from online groups and watch YouTube videos.

That may be true for some information, but The Quilter's Way offers another view of quilting - a way to help you reach your peak quilting potential.

I decided to create this online membership site - like an online guild plus more - after connecting with thousands of quilters and finding out that they were struggling with issues that couldn't be solved by taking another online class. Around the world, I found quilters struggling with the same problems: lack of time, fear of trying new techniques, not knowing how to improve their skills, having problems staying motivated and focused on their projects, and similar issues. I understood their issues and hoped that by creating a new type of online site I could help them resolve some of these issues and allow them to enjoy their quilting experience to its fullest.

I'm really excited for you to check out all of the help that you'll find in both the Learning centre and the Community area, so I've created The Quilter's Way with a 14-day trial period that is completely free. This gives you plenty of time to check out all that The Quilter's Way has to offer and see how you can benefit from the content you'll find there.

One thing to note is that there is a special introductory monthly fee of $10.00 USD that I'm offering for a limited time period. If you enrol in The Quilter's Way before October 1, 2018, you will be able to lock in this price for the length of your enrolment. You'll never pay a higher monthly fee than $10.00 USD, even when the monthly fee increases on October 1. I won't be offering this special price in the future - it's a one time deal! No pressure, but I just wanted you to be aware of this.

I hope you'll take the opportunity to check out The Quilter's Way today and join us as a member.

Creatively,

Kim

P.S. If you have any questions or concerns about The Quilter's Way, just let me know. You can always reach me at kim@thequiltersway.com. Don't forget to enrol in the Fabric Decluttering Challenge. You'll be glad you did!